Just Visiting
by Violintide
Summary: In which Kawamura and Kikumaru find themselves victims of Fuji's strategic planning.


Just Visiting  
  
---  
  
a Tennis no Oujisama drabble  
  
by Jennifer M.  
  
peropero@inorbit.com  
  
---  
  
A cold sweat broke out on his palms as he stared into the other's still- closed eyes, fingering the last of his money under the table, counting once more to be sure that he really did only have three bills left.  
  
"..the money. Where's the money, Taka-san?"  
  
He attempted to smile bashfully as he felt around the cushion he was sitting on, double-checking that a bill.. or two.. or fifteen.. hadn't somehow slipped out of his hands. No such luck.  
  
"Hehe.. um.. How much did you say I owe you again, Fujiko-chan?"  
  
The glare that little nickname earned him left him barely suppressing a nervous gulp as a thin trickle of sweat slid down his neck.  
  
"Six hundred and eighty-seven dollars." Not. Amused. At All.  
  
He looked to his left, catching the eye of his would-be savior. "Eiji?" At the first sign of the other boy's semi-hostile expression, he turned on his best pleading abilities. "Eiji, how long have we been friends? You wouldn't leave a guy hanging, would you?"  
  
Kikumaru's eyes shifted away uncomfortably. "Taka-san.. we've been friends for a long time. But.. but I really can't spot you right now. I'm barely scratching out a living the way it is, I can't afford to give out charity to people who can't manage their investments wisely." He grimaced in sympathy at Kawamura's pitiful frown. "I'm sorry, man. There's nothing I can do for you."  
  
Fuji smiled serenely, leaning back onto his palms. "I think you know what you have to do, Taka-san. You really can't put it off any longer."  
  
"I hate to say it, but it's an offer you can't refuse," Kikumaru commented, hastily putting up his hands in defense after Kawamura directed a bitter glare at him, muttering "Traitor" under his breath.  
  
He stared down into his lap once last time, sighing heavily as he accepted the consequences of his actions. "Fine. I can accept the consequences."  
  
Fuji's grin spread a few millimeters wider as he watched Kawamura sort through the disorganized pile in his lap. "A wise decision."  
  
"Just take it, Fuji, no need to rub it in!"  
  
As Kawamura slowly pushed the card across the table, Fuji lazily slid it from his grasp, holding it between his thumb and index finger as he read the words aloud, satisfied.  
  
"Illinois Avenue.. Eiji, I believe I would like to purchase some houses."  
  
Eiji groaned. "Taka! What made you give him the oranges?! You know he waits for these kinds of opportunities to rob us blind!"  
  
Scratching the back of his head, Kawamura smiled ruefully. "It's the only way I can get him off my back for a while. That 'Go Directly to Jail' card really threw off my rhythm, I'm living off less than two hundred dollars right now!"  
  
"If you hadn't blown it all on the Short Line before, maybe he wouldn't be kicking our asses so much!"  
  
"Hey, I was *trying* to stop him from getting a monopoly on the railroads, too! What is this city coming to?! Transportation systems need to be competitive to be affordable! Think of the people, Eiji!"  
  
"The people?! THE PEOPLE?! I'm thinking of my BANK ACCOUNT, Kawamura!"  
  
"Yeah, that's why you 'accidentally' miscounted the 500s when you were paying yourself the salary, right?"  
  
"*ahem*."  
  
"WHAT?!" Two sets of eyes snapped immediately to the side of the table that was conspicuously overflowing with neatly stacked piles of currency and property deeds.  
  
Fuji blinked in surprise at the violence of the reactions. "I was just going to point out that that was your downfall, Taka-san." The twin expressions of confusion made him rephrase the statement. "It's been mathematically proven that Short Line is the least profitable of the four railroads."  
  
"Do I really want to know why you know that, Fuji?"  
  
"Inui did some research on it after the last time we had a party and he lost all that money. You'll be sorry to hear, Taka-san, that the property you just forfeited is actually the most profitable one on the board, in terms of frequency of visits."  
  
Kikumaru stared at his classmate with an expression of disgust. "You have a *Monopoly* strategy? One that you developed with *Inui*, no less?" He sighed. "As if the rest of us have any chance when the two of you are working together."  
  
"At least they're not *cooking* together.. yet." Kawamura blinked as he realized the implications of such a suggestion. "Fuji, for the love of all that's good in the world, please don't take that as an approval."  
  
"An unholy alliance!" Eiji was beginning to look a bit green at the thought.  
  
"Maa, ne." Fuji looked cheerfully innocent throughout the entire conversation, which Kawamura found a bit suspicious in itself. "Anyway, as a sign of good faith, I'll share with you a valuable piece of Monopoly- related knowledge."  
  
"Is it going to save my chances of winning the game?"  
  
Kikumaru snorted. "This is Mr. No-Data you're talking to. Do you think he would jeopardize his own chances of winning?"  
  
"You wound me, Eiji. But, no, Taka-san, unfortunately it's a bit late for you to profit from this suggestion. According to Inui's calculations, the best color groups to buy are the oranges and the greens-"  
  
"-both of which you own, surprise, surprise."  
  
"I take my own advice." A smile. "If you own the orange properties, you break even from your initial investment the fastest. If you choose the green properties, you receive the highest overall value per roll, based on frequency of visits."  
  
Kawamura shook his head. "I don't know where Inui finds all the time to calculate this stuff out. But I guess it comes in handy sometimes.."  
  
"Well, Inui's data isn't perfect. The chance and community chest cards tend to throw off the data a bit, so there's still hope."  
  
Eiji crowed. "Not for Kawamura! You might as well turn in your cards, Sushi Boy, cos I'm on a roll!"  
  
The pillow that hit him in the face a few seconds later didn't come as much of a surprise.  
  
---  
  
XD I know it's a pointless fic, lol, but I'm trying to get in the habit of writing more often, so I need practice. ^^;  
  
This is based on the information in volume 10.5 that Taka-san keeps a Monopoly board in his room for when he has friends over. (This is actually the 4th story I've written based on information from 10.5, but only the second one I published. Something about it just inspires me. XD)  
  
..volume 20.5 comes out this week, you know. Who knows what'll be next? 


End file.
